ExtremeRavens Posted October 13 Posted October 13 Here’s how the Ravens (4-2) graded out at every position after beating the Washington Commanders, 30-23, in Week 6 on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Quarterback Lamar Jackson did pretty much whatever he wanted in this game. The Commanders (4-2) had trouble stopping the run, and Jackson picked them apart going across the middle with the intermediate passing game. Jackson completed 20-of-26 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown. He did throw an interception which was a catchable pass to tight end Mark Andrews in the first quarter. The only problem for Jackson was being indecisive on when to run the ball off the edge. He finished with a rating of 114.7. Grade: A- Running backs The Ravens are relentless in using Derrick Henry. He doesn’t always pile up a lot of yards early in games, but he can still close out an opponent like he did the Commanders on Sunday. Henry had 132 yards on 24 attempts, including 47 yards on six attempts in the fourth period. The toss sweep has become a major staple of the Ravens in grinding down opponents in the final period. Patrick Ricard is the best blocking fullback in the NFL, and when he gets a running start, it’s almost unfair for the opposition. Grade: B+ Offensive line Except for occasional pressure, the Ravens handled Washington’s defensive line. The Commanders got very little pressure, and the Ravens are most effective when they can mix the run and the play action passing game. The team apparently has found the right chemistry with tackles Ronnie Stanley, rookie Roger Rosengarten, guards Patrick Mekari, Daniel Faalele and center Tyler Linderbaum. Faalele and Rosengarten still have to improve in pass protection, but it’s not as glaring when facing a weak defensive team like Washington. Grade: A- Receivers Besides Jackson, slot receiver Zay Flowers might be the team’s Most Valuable Player on offense. Flowers, in his second season, was targeted nine times Sunday and had nine catches for 132 yards, including a long of 44 yards. The Ravens use him inside, outside and even as a running back. Because he is only 5-feet-9, Flowers can catch the ball, plant his foot and reverse field quickly. In the future, the Ravens might want to use him more on the outside because of his speed and quick strike ability. Tight end Mark Andrews had three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Rashod Bateman caught four passes for 71 and drew several pass interference penalties. The Commanders could not hang with this group. Grade: A- Defensive line The Commanders had a few plays where they gained decent yards on the ground, but the Ravens dominated the line play. Washington finished with 52 yards rushing on 18 carries, as the ground game never got in sync. Without a running game, the Ravens group of tackles Nnamidi Madubuike, Michael Pierce and Travis Jones kept consistent pressure on Jayden Daniels. The rookie had some outstanding throws, but the harassment made it hard for him to connect. Madubuike had two tackles, including a half a sack. Pierce also had four tackles and a half a sack. Jones might have been the most dominant player up front with four tackles and a sack. Grade: A Ravens vs. Commanders, October 13, 2024 | PHOTOS Linebackers Middle linebacker Roquan Smith seemed to start slow, but got better and dominated from the middle of the first quarter onward. Smith finished with seven tackles, two behind cornerback Marlon Humphrey for the team lead. The Ravens got pressure on Daniels from starting outside linebacker Odafe Oweh as well as backup Tavius Robinson, who had two hits on Daniels. That’s a major plus for a team looking for pressure off the edge. The Ravens also seemed to clear up some of their problems with their linebackers getting deep drops and cutting off slants inside the red zone, an area in which the Bengals had success a week ago. Second-year inside linebacker Trent Simpson had four tackles. Grade: B Secondary It was hard to get a read on the Ravens’ defensive backs. For the most part, they came up and tackled well. In fact, it was one of their better games but Washington’s offense was very vanilla. Besides Humphrey who had nine tackles, safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Nate Wiggins finished with four. The Commanders had to help out their offensive line, which is why sometimes they only had two or three receivers in the routes. Overall, the Ravens were decent, and they got victimized by some great throws by Daniels into tight windows. It was an improvement from a week ago vs. Cincinnati, but this group still has a lot of work to make significant improvement. Grade: C+ Special teams Washington kicker Austin Seibert either didn’t have the leg strength or he was willing to challenge the Ravens return units on kickoffs. The Ravens had returns of 34 and 26 yards. Ben Cleveland, a 6-foot-6-inch offensive lineman, actually blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt at the end of the second quarter. Kicker Justin Tucker converted on field goals of 45, 39 and 32 yards. Punter Jordan Stout only punted one time for 50 yards, which is an indication of the Ravens’ offensive success. Grade: B+ Coaching Offensively, coordinator Todd Monken picked Washington apart, and that was to be expected. The Commanders were ranked No. 23 in third-down efficiency at 43.6 percent and No. 29 in red-zone defense at 68.8 percent, and they played like it. The Ravens ran the ball and threw over the middle at will. Defensively, there are still questions about the secondary despite the team bringing in former coordinator Dean Pees as an advisor early last week. But at least it’s an attempt to get better, especially for a team that has aspirations to go deep into the postseason. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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